After hanging up, Levi splashed some water on his face, suited up in his kinetic-assist rig, and vacated the “Mum’s the Word” motel.
He reached the Coyote Cojo just before noon.
After a quick nod to Mama Welles, he headed straight for the booth on the second floor.
Two people were waiting: Jackie, and a Black woman—bald, lean, dressed in stark, matte-black netrunning gear, her expression unreadable.
“Hey, Mano, you’re late!
It’s damn near twelve,” Jackie said, standing up.
“Listen, I want you to meet T-Bug.
She’s fresh to Night City, but she’s a serious decker.
Word is she ran circles around a couple of NetWatch’s top agents and planted two logic-bomb daemons in their systems before they even knew she was there.” “She’s handling our technical support for this job.” Levi cast a quick look at T-Bug.
The interface materialized: [Name: T-Bug] [Affiliation: Netrunner] [Cyberware: Kiroshi Optics Mk.2, RAM Upgrade, Memory Boost, External Disk, Camillo RAM Manager, Self-ICE, Tyrosine Injector, Biomonitor, Bioconductor, Raven Microcyber Mk.4, Monowire] [Threat Level: High] [Evaluation: T-Bug is living proof that a netrunner and a solo are cut from the same cloth.
Both deal in high-risk gigs that eventually put them in the crosshairs of corps or the law, leading to life-or-death stalemates.
T-Bug knows that hacking combat units is just as lethal as pulling a trigger.
Unlike the green rookies, she’s playing a long game—stacking creds to retire and leave this damn city in the rearview mirror forever.] A solid pro, Levi thought.
He nodded to her.
“Sorry, Jack.
NCPD had the roads locked down for some Biotechnica executive.
Had to take the long way around.” “I heard about that,” T-Bug added coolly.
“Biotechnica.
Typical corp-dog behavior, blocking off the city to protect one of their own.” “Right, enough about the pigs,” Jackie said, gesturing for them to sit.
“Let’s talk big money.” T-Bug leaned back, crossing her legs.
“I’m support.
I handle the deck, you two decide the tactics.” “Alright, lay it out,” Levi said.
“A test subject carrying Biotechnica’s latest experimental cyberware got snatched by Scavs,” Jackie explained, his eyes bright.
“The middleman offered a 100,000 credit bonus if we recover the subject, plus free access to the new chrome.
Easy gig.” “That’s the ‘big job’?” Levi blinked.
“Anything corp-related is a big job, Mano!
And 100,000 credits?
Just for clearing out some Scavs?
That’s easy money.” T-Bug nodded.
“Scavs are just garbage that sells parts.
It shouldn’t take long.” Levi frowned, his mind working the angles.
“Hold on.
If this is so simple and the payout is this high, why isn’t this gig being snapped up by top-tier mercs?
Why us?
Does the middleman have money to burn, or are we missing something?” “I snatched this off the open net,” Jackie said, looking a bit defensive.
“I was just fast on the draw.” Levi tapped his temple.
“Jackie, use your head.
Why would a Biotechnica middleman let you get that contract?
Are you Adam Smasher?
Morgan Blackhand?
Wei-lan the ‘Old Snake’?
No.
So why would you get a high-pay, low-difficulty gig that hundreds of elite teams are constantly monitoring?” Jackie went quiet.
“You think it’s a trap, Mano?” “Maybe.
All that glitters is gold, but everything in this city has a hidden price.
They don’t just want your work; they want your skin.” “Too young, too naive,” T-Bug murmured, eyeing Levi.
“That’s Stefan Zweig, isn’t it?
You read him?” She turned to Jackie.
“Jack, did you talk to this middleman face-to-face?” “No,” Jackie admitted, his voice dropping.
“It was all encrypted holo-calls.” “Can we dump the contract?” Levi asked.
Jackie gave a bitter laugh.
“I wish.
I was so excited, I signed the digital lease.
I already took an advance.
If I break the contract, I owe them ten times the bounty.” “You’re a street kid who grew up in the Valentinos, Jackie.
Since when do you care about contract law?” Levi asked, amused.
“The contract has a poison pill, Levi,” Jackie groaned.
“If I breach, I don’t just owe the money—I become the involuntary subject for their next round of experimental cyberware tests.” “So you’re either cleaning up a trap or you’re becoming the lab rat,” Levi summarized.
“And if you bail, they go after Mama Welles.
Corp-dogs don’t play fair.” “Exactly,” Jackie said.
“Fine.
We do it.” Levi sighed and cuffed Jackie on the back of the head.
“T-Bug, it’s a setup.
You still in?” “I told you—I’m support.
I do the hacking.
The rest is your problem,” she said.
“Fair enough.
Let’s get to work.” Levi turned to Jackie.
“Send me the data package.
I need to know exactly what we’re walking into.” Jackie’s optical implant glowed a soft blue, and the files dropped into Levi’s inbox.
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